Bill Criminalizing Birth Control is "Against Citizens' Rights," Critics Say

- Two prominent Iranian lawyers have questioned the legitimacy of a bill approved by the Iranian Parliament on June 24, 2014, which calls for punishment against those who perform birth control procedures such as vasectomy and tubectomy. The bills are part of an official drive to boost the country's population. - 7/18/14

Iran's Population Drive Could Outlaw Vasectomies

- Iran cannot force its citizens to have more children, but it could take away their ability to get their tubes tied. Acting on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's calls for Iran to reverse course and boost its population growth, parliament has passed a bill that would make vasectomies, tubectomies, and other surgical methods of sterilization punishable by two to five years in prison. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE - 7/2/14

Fake commercial drugs more profitable than narcotics in Iran

- The head of Iran's Medical Drugs Information Centre says the country's trade in counterfeit commercial drugs, most of which come from Pakistan, has become more lucrative than dealing in illegal narcotics. - 6/27/14

Iranian Health Minister challenges law against birth control

- Iran's Minister of Health has challenged the new legislation passed by Parliament to criminalize vasectomies and tubectomies, saying the legislation is in violation of citizens' rights. - 6/26/14

Iran outlaws birth-control methods, promotion

- Iran's Parliament has passed legislation criminalizing "abortion, sterilization, vasectomies, tubectomies and any promotion of childbirth reduction" under penalty of two to five years in jail. - 6/25/14

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) - update by

- The National IHR Focal Points of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Islamic Republic of Iran recently reported additional laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) to WHO. - 6/15/14

Tehran-Sponsored Hospital Eyed With Suspicion In Afghanistan

- BAMIYAN -- Afghanistan has been the recipient of millions of dollars in assistance from neighboring Iran. But while Kabul has accepted the much-needed support, it has often shown wariness of Tehran's motives. -Abbas Naderi and Frud Bezhan, RFE - 6/8/14

Iran working on self-sufficiency in producing medicine: President Rouhani

- President Hassan Rouhani said here on Friday that Iran is trying to become self-sufficient in some medicines production. Talking to reporters, President Rouhani made the remarks when inaugurating the first production line of growth hormone in Tehran. - 5/30/14

Iran Reports Its First Death From MERS Virus

- Iran reportedly has suffered its first fatality from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Reports by state media on May 29 about the death come a day after the first cases in Iran were publicized. - 5/30/14

Egypt, Iran, Pakistan among top growth countries with respect to tobacco consumption: WHO

- On World No Tobacco Day, 31 May, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Egypt, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Pakistan are expected to be among the top growth countries, with respect to tobacco consumption, worldwide, in the next 40 years, the United Nations Information center said in a press release on Thursday. - 5/29/14

Iran Reports Its First Cases Of MERS Virus

- Iran has recorded its first two cases of the potentially fatal Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Iranian media quote Health Ministry official Mohammad Mahdi Gouya as saying the virus that causes MERS was confirmed in two sisters in the southern province of Kerman. One is reported to be in critical condition. - 5/28/14

Iran's petrochemical gasoline linked to cancer

- Iran's Department of the Environment has published a report confirming gasoline produced at petrochemical refineries "causes cancer." The Shargh daily reports that the statement says: "To combat sanctions and provide for the country's gasoline needs, the former administration began a rushed effort to produce petrochemical gasoline without a long-term plan." - 5/2/14

Iran Seeks To Offset Advancement Of Women In Medicine

- "Parisa" is among the thousands of young women who have transformed the once male-dominated field of medicine in Iran. Whereas men made up 70 percent of the country's medical students and physicians about 20 years ago, women have reversed the situation to the point that women like Parisa now account for 70 percent of Iran's medical students. -Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE - 4/23/14

Iranian medical official reveals steep rise in cancer rate

- Iran's Chief of Internal Medicine reports a rise of 20 to 30 percent in the number of cancer cases in the country, adding: "By next year, we will have 400,000 cancer patients in the country." - 4/23/14

Welcome to the body parts shop... would you like to place an order?

- Professor Alexander Seifalian (UCL Centre for Nanotechnology & Regenerative Medicine) and his team are aiming to make organ donation a thing of the past, combining nano-composite materials with stem cell technologies for the growth of replacement organs. - 4/14/14

Congress Urges President to Ensure Sanctions Do Not Block Medicine for Iranians

- The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) commends Rep. James Moran (D-VA) and all twenty-one Members of Congress who sent a letter to President Obama today supporting necessary action to ensure medicine and humanitarian goods are not unintentionally blocked for the Iranian people. - 4/5/14

This Norooz, Wishing Iranians (Access to) a Healthy New Year

- Since 2012, due to current U.S. and European sanctions on Iran, ordinary Iranians often cannot access the life-saving medicine they need to address critical health issues. -Yasmin Radjy, NIAC - 3/28/14

Iran imports over $1.6b worth of medicine in 11 months

- Iran imported $1.601 billion worth of medicine in the first eleven months of the current Iranian calendar year, which began on March 21, 2013, an official at the Iranian Customs Administration said on Wednesday. Imports of medicine rose by 23.5 percent in value and 29 percent in volume compared to the previous year - 3/13/14

Hundreds protest transfer of Iran's Social Security Fund

- Five hundred Tehran workers and retirees insured under the Social Security Fund gathered in front of the Parliament building on Wednesday March 12 to protest plans to hand over the health insurance branch of the fund to the Ministry of Health. - 3/13/14

Iranian Midwives Protest Hiring Proposal By Health Ministry

- Following a Ministry of Health proposal to engage midwives as nurses in hospitals, Iranian midwives staged a demonstration in from of the ministry building. The Etemad daily reports that demonstrators gathered holding banners that denounced the ministry proposal. - 3/7/14

Iran's health budget faces deficit at year end

- The Iranian Minister of Health announced that the national health budget has a shortfall of 60 billion rials this year, emphasizing that the situation was inherited from the former administration. - 2/27/14

Recombinant drugs made in transgenic goats at Iran's Royan Institute

- Researchers of Royan Institute have extracted recombinant drugs made in transgenic goats, a morning English-language paper quoted chairman of the institute on Monday. According to ˈIran Daily,ˈ Dr. Hamid Gourabi said that Royan intends to begin mass production by generating herds of transgenic goats. - 2/24/14

Report: Iranian President Donates $400,000 to Jewish Hospital

- Iranian news agencies report that President Hassan Rouhani has donated $400,000 to a Jewish hospital in Tehran. Rouhani was quoted as saying his government will pay more attention to Iran's minorities. - 2/7/14

Statistics show Iran's cancer rate rising fast

- The chairman of the Cancer Research Center of Iran, Mohammad Esmail Akbari, says 41,000 Iranians die of cancer each year and Iran's cancer rate is among the world's fastest rising. - 1/30/14

Hundreds get sick due to cracks in Tehran water pipes

- Hundreds of people were stricken with diarrhea and vomiting attacks after drinking tap water in the Pardis neighbourhood of Tehran. Residents have been urged to use bottled water for the next 24 hours while the matter is being investigated, according to Javan News. - 1/17/14

Petition addressed to UN protests Iran sanctions

- A petition, signed by more than 2,500 people and addressing the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, has protested the sanctions targeting Iran's medical imports. The petition has been initiated by a group of Iranian political, cultural, and artistic figures. Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami as well as Oscar-winning filmmaker Asghar Farhadi are among the signatories. - 1/7/14

Iranian surgeon: brain cancer vaccine is a promising therapy

- A London-based Iranian neurosurgeon who is leading the first ever brain cancer vaccine trial in Europe, says he is satisfied with the initial results of this new therapy for the most aggressive form of brain cancer known as "glioblastoma tumour". - 1/5/14

Tehran governor-general urges import of Euro 4 petrol

- Tehran Governor- General Hossein Hashemi on Wednesday called for import of petrol to meet Euro 4 standard until self-sufficiency in production of high quality gasoline. Hashemi said low quality of the gasoline being consumed in Iran is the prime reason of air pollution in Iranian metropolitans. - 1/2/14

Iran: Drying wetlands in 40 regions contributing to air pollution

- The head of biodiversity for the Department of the Environment reports that 40 wetland areas in Iran have partially or completely dried out. IRNA reports that in 40 regions, the wetlands have dried out anywhere from 20 to 100 percent, and the main cause is the lack of effective management of water resources. - 12/30/13

Hepatitis statistics show long-term decline in Iran

- The head of Iran's Hepatitis Research Network reported on Saturday December 14 that 1.6 million people in Iran carry the hepatitis virus. - 12/15/13

President Rohani Calls For Action On Iranian Air Pollution

- ISNA reports that on Wednesday December 4, Rohani called on the Department of the Environment, the presidential Deputy for Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health to find new and innovative ways of working together to reduce air pollution. - 12/6/13

Medicine imports to Iran rise 40% in month: report

- Imports of medicine to Iran increased by 40 percent in the past Iranian calendar month of Aban (ended Nov. 21) compared to its preceding month, according to Iran's Customs Administration. - 12/4/13

Iranian Health Minister foresees drug costs declining

- Iran's Minister of Health has promised that in view of the recent agreements in Geneva, drugs will become cheaper in the country. According to Ghazizadeh, difficulties in making payments in the past year have contributed to a 20% increase in the cost of drugs. - 12/2/13

Stimulant in rainfall sends hundreds to hospital in Ahvaz, Iran

- Ahvaz health officials say 1,500 people ended up in emergency rooms last night due to respiratory problems brought on by rain. The Mehr News Agency reports that officials claim the presence of a stimulant in the rain water has been causing the widespread shortness of breath. - 11/20/13

Iran: Thousands go to Khuzestan hospitals after "acid rain"

- Following a rainy day in various parts of Khuzestan Province on Saturday November 2, many people went to hospitals with serious bouts of choking and shortness of breath. ISNA reports that 3,100 people reported serious respiratory symptoms in Khuzestan following the weekend rainfall. - 11/5/13

Blood shortage reaches critical stage in Tehran province

- The head of blood services for Tehran province announced on Wednesday that the department's stores are dangerously low and it currently has only a two-day supply of necessary blood transfusions for patients. Khorasan Province announced a similar concern over low blood and plasma banks. - 11/1/13

WHERE DOES DIZZINESS COME FROM? Johns Hopkins researchers pinpoint a key area for "upright perception" in the human brain

- "Our brain has this amazing way of knowing where we are in space, whether we are upright or tilted at an angle, even if it is completely dark and we can't see anything around us," says Amir Kheradmand, M.D., a neurology instructor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine who conducted the research. - 10/19/13

New Campaign Launches to Ensure Iranians' Access to Non-Sanctioned Goods

- A coalition of civil society organizations has launched an international campaign to ensure access to medical and humanitarian goods for the Iranian people. Just Access, supported by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Arseh Sevom, United4Iran, and Sanctioned Life, aims to establish a payment channel through the European Union to allow Iranians to purchase these non-sanctioned items. - 10/2/13

Photos: Inauguration Of Nuclear Medicine Department Of Razavi Hospital In Mashhad, Iran

- On Saturday September 21, the second phase of Razavi Hospital in Iran's northeast city of Mashhad was inaugurated in an official ceremony on Saturday. The new building has 40 thousand square meters of space with the most advanced facilities and medical equipment. But what makes it really important is its state-of-the-art nuclear medicine department. - 9/23/13

Iran's first fertility center via 'telemedicine' network to kick off

- Dr. Maghrebi explained that there are 50 fertility centers currently operating in the country and based on statistics around 15% of married couples are infertile, therefore such centers are perfect places for these couples to take advantage of. - 8/30/13

Pollution protests in Zanjan lead to closure of metals factory

- Citizens of Zanjan have succeeded in their protest against the pollution caused by a lead and zinc factory, with the provincial authorities announcing its closure. The announcement concludes that the shutdown order was issued following the residents' demands to transfer the factory's work. - 8/27/13

Tehran Allows Test Run Of Alcohol Addiction Treatment Center

- Tehran has issued a licence for the establishment of the city's first alcohol rehabilitation centre. ISNA reports that the head of the Public Health Department's Addiction Prevention Centre announced that the licence is for a pilot project for the treatment of alcoholics. - 8/25/13

Alarm sounded over nursing shortage in Iran

- A member of Iran's regulatory body for nursing has warned of a shortage of nurses in Iranian hospitals, adding that "the decline in the quality of nursing" is compromising the lives of patients. - 8/24/13

Iranian heart surgeons competitive with developed countries

- On the sidelines of the 6th International Razavi Cardiovascular Congress in Mashad, capital of the Razavi Khorasan province, Professor Sotiris Parapas told IRNA on Wednesday, I have travelled to Mashad more than 10 times so far and every year, I witness great progress concerning modern equipment and possibilities of the Mashad Ultra-Specialist Heart Hospital. - 8/22/13

"Barbaric US-led sanctions killing Iranian children": Dr. Alireza Marandi

- In a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, President of Iran's Academy of Medical Sciences Dr. Alireza Marandi has blasted Washington for exacting sadistic revenge on Iranian children through their inhuman sanctions against the nation. - 8/21/13

Photos: People in Arak, Iran Hold Protest Gathering Against High Pollution

- A group of residents of Arak in central Iran held a gathering to protest the dangerously high levels of pollution in the city. According to a report by Arakna News Agency, Arak has been suffering from high pollution for the last 83 days. People are blaming high rate of cancer and other health issues on the pollution and are demanding actions from the authorities to bring it under control. - 8/18/13

Mashhad to host 6th Razavi International Cardiovascular Congress

- The 6th Razavi International Cardiovascular Congress and the Second Cardiac Nursing congress will be held in Mashhad from August 21-23. Head of Razavi Hospital Saeed Abdolhosseini told a press conference on Wednesday that the congress will be held in collaboration with World Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgeons and Euro Asian Bridge. - 8/14/13

Lead and Zinc Factory Near Zanjan Shut Down After Protests

- In the wake of a protest by the people of Zanjan, the lead and zinc factory on the outskirts of the city has been shut down. In a mass protest last week, citizens of Zanjan demanded the plant be shut down because of its "deadly emissions." - 8/14/13

Iran: Protesters in Zanjan link cancers to factory emissions

- Zanjan citizens staged a widespread protest on Sunday in front of the governor's office and the office of the Friday Imam, denouncing the pollution spewed by lead and zinc factories near the city. - 8/12/13

Drugs in short supply in Iran for blood disorder

- The head of Iran's Thalassemia Society has expressed grave concern about the level of Iran's import and production of drugs for the blood disorder, announcing that what drugs are available are now being rationed. - 8/6/13

Dr. Ghajar implants the first Telescopic Lens in Fresno

- On July 17, 2013, Dr. Ghajar, cataract & corneal specialist, became the first local surgeon to implant a tiny telescopic lens in the eye of one of our patients at the California Eye Institute at St. Agnes. -Eye Medical Center of Fresno - 8/4/13

Iran's customs rule changes to help import of crucial drugs

- Iranian customs authorities have announced that medical drug importers will be allowed to clear their back-up goods through customs if they have bank guarantees for money owing. Importers are instructed to go directly to customs, where all the necessary paperwork will be processed. - 8/4/13

Iran's medical drug imports stuck in customs limbo

- Mohareza Naderi, the technical deputy at the Iran Customs office, told ISNA that currently the medical drugs are being held at customs because importers have not been able to pay the difference between the government-subsidized exchange rate for the dollar and the market rate for the dollar. - 8/1/13

When I Ran Out of Birth Control in Iran

- I recently had to extend my trip to Iran and ran out of birth control. No biggie, I thought, contraceptive pills are easily found in pharmacies throughout the country and you don't even need a prescription. I walked into a pharmacy in Tehran two nights ago, showed the pharmacist my own birth control pills from the United States, and asked for something similar. -Narges Bajoghli, Iran Wire - 8/1/13

Cancer patient advocate warns of soaring treatment costs for Iranians

- The head of Society Supporting Cancer Patients in the Central Province has reported that the cost of cancer treatment across the country is rising at an alarming rate. Ahmad Ghorbani said: "Currently, the cost of medication has quadrupled, and 13 percent of patients have abandoned their course of treatment." - 7/31/13

U.S. Authorizes More Medical Exports to Iran; Financial Sanctions Remain Obstacle

- NIAC applauds the Obama administration for expanding the list of medical devices that can be exported to Iran, and urges it to follow up on this action by addressing financial sanctions that have been cutting off humanitarian exports to Iran. - 7/26/13

Market Insight: Iran's Healthcare Market on the Rise

- Iran's healthcare industry is set for a bright future. The country is ranked 15th among Middle East and Africa (MEA) countries in terms of long-term investment potential. With a population of 75 million people - more than 50% of which is under the age of 35 ... -Frost & Sullivan - 7/25/13

"There is No Medicine; Remain on the Waiting List"

- When some callers ask for medicine which is not available in drugstores, pharmacists ask them to leave their phone numbers on the waiting list. And when they ask when the medicine may be available, the response they get is "nobody knows." Sometimes callers are asked to ask their physicians for substitutes. -Niusha Saremi, Rooz - 7/24/13

Blood disease sufferers face drug shortage in Iran

- The head of Iran's Thalassemia Society told Mehr News Agency that Thalassemia sufferers are faced with a drug crisis because the domestic production of the drugs cannot meet the needs of the country's patients, and in the past four months, even domestic production has fallen to 30 percent of the usual output. - 7/20/13

Iran conducts first facial reconstruction surgery successfully

- The first and most important facial reconstruction surgery in Iran which lasted for nearly 5 hours ended with successful results. Mousa Sheikh has undergone the surgery at Golestan Hospital after his face was badly damaged following hitting a guardrail. - 7/17/13

Iran unveils 12 domestically produced medicines

- Iran unveiled 12 types of domestically produced medicines, including nine anti-cancer drugs, during a ceremony held at Pardis Technology Park in Tehran on Sunday. According to ISNA, Bortezomib, Cytarabine, Capecitabine, Erlotinib, Vorinostat, and Irinotecan are some of the drugs which were unveiled. - 7/15/13

Obama Administration Looks to Address Humanitarian Impact of Sanctions

- The State Department's top official coordinating Iran sanctions acknowledged on Wednesday that U.S. sanctions have impeded humanitarian transactions for Iran and could potentially undermine international support for the sanctions, indicating that the United States government is actively considering ways to solve the problem. - 7/12/13

Rafsanjani laments medicine shortage due to 'cruel' sanctions on Iran

- Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has described foreign sanctions on Iran as cruel, saying that the so-called advocates of human rights have upset the Iranian people, especially the patients. - 7/11/13

Photos: Mass Family Walk in Tabriz, Iran

- People in the city of Tabriz in the province of East Azerbaijan in northwestern Iran participated in a mass family walk on Friday July 6th. In recent years, many cities in Iran have been holding family walk days to promote exercise for a healthy body. - 7/5/13

Iranian addiction clinics hampered by rising drug costs

- The rising price of medical drugs has severely restrained the services offered by addiction treatment clinics. ILNA reports that the head of Addiction Prevention and Treatment has said its clinics are faced with a 60- to 80-percent increase in the price of the medical drugs they need to deliver adequate treatment. - 7/1/13

UN: Afghanistan is Top Opium Producer, User

- Afghanistan once again was the world's largest opium producer in 2012, churning out 74 percent of the world illegal opium. According to the United Nations, Afghanistan's drug-fueled economy both funds the insurgency there and threatens to further undermine the country's fragile economy and security. - 6/27/13

Iran burns 100 tons of illicit drugs on International anti-drug day

- Iran marked the UN International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Wednesday by burning 100 tons of illicit drugs across the country. Iran has been used as the main conduit for smuggling illicit drugs from its eastern neighbors to drug kingpins in Europe. - 6/27/13

Six Die, Hundreds Sick In Iran After Drinking Tainted Alcohol

- Reports from Iran say six people have died and 348 have fallen ill after drinking poisonous alcohol in the southeastern province of Kerman. The semiofficial ISNA news agency quotes a medical official, Hamid Najmeddin, as saying that three people were in critical condition in a hospital's intensive care unit on June 1. - 6/2/13

World No Tobacco Day 2013: Ban tobacco advertising to protect young people

- According to World Health Organization (WHO), countries that are making strong progress in banning the last remaining forms of advertising include Albania, Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, Iran, Mauritius, Panama and Vietnam. - 5/31/13

UCLA live-tweets surgery to implant brain pacemaker while patient strums guitar

- During Thursday's operation, which was overseen by Dr. Nader Pouratian, the patient was awakened and asked to play a guitar to assist the team in placing electrodes into position. Dr. Pouratian is director of the UCLA Functional and Movement Disorder Program. - 5/29/13

Iranian cities warn Parliament about dangerous food imports

- Representatives of the Iranian cities of Golpaygan and Langarood have warned the agriculture and health ministers that recent imports of wheat and rice are contaminated and could cause widespread health complications. - 5/25/13

Professor Parvaneh Vosough, angel of Iran's Cancer Children, passes away

- Everyone in Mozaffar Street loved Mrs. Professor's Green Volkswagen bug; a symbol which would appear in the vicinity of Ali Asghar Hospital, making evident the presence of a woman who had dedicated her life to cancer-suffering children; who abandoned her residence in Europe to live beside cancer-suffering children in Iran and to help them. - 5/21/13

Iran's medicine imports fall by 54 percent

- Iran imported $34.2 million worth of medicine in the first Iranian calendar month of Farvardin (March 21-April 20), down 54.7 percent year on year. In November 2012, the health ministry of Iran called the Central Bank to earmark $2 billion for importing medicine to cope with the domestic shortage as a result of international sanctions. - 5/21/13

Iran transplants aortic valve in sheep's heart

- Iran has embarked on conducting several important research plans on different medical and veterinary domains since last year, one of which is transplanting human's aortic valve to several sheep, said Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution Mokhber Dezfouli. - 5/14/13

Iran's first locally-made influenza vaccine to hit market

- Iran will mass produce the first locally-made influenza vaccine for the first time in 2013, said Iranian Deputy Health Minister for Research and Technology Mostafa Qaneyee. "One of the most important vaccines being produced by Iranian researchers is influenza vaccine y using SPF eggs. The product will hit the market this year," Qaneyee said. - 5/13/13